Group
Exhibition Review, February 21-22, 2015
by Emily Alesandrini
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| Voice Mixed Media Vanessa Shaf |
Caristia was an ancient Roman holiday celebrating the love
of family with banqueting, gift-giving, and reconciliation. Honoring ancestors
and relatives, party-goers feasted on cake and wine with loved ones. This
February, the Connor family exhibited their Caristia,
a group exhibition of multi-media artworks by family members and friends in the
multi-roomed gallery space, Arts on Elston.
Works on canvas, wood, paper and cement provide an eclectic
ambiance—a visual diversity that keeps the viewer engaged room after room. Artist and gallery owner Arthur Connor
commented on this diverse medley of artwork saying, “The hope is to show
pictures perhaps people didn’t even know they wanted to see.” In response, cousin and fellow artist
Eileen Madden added, “No one walks in and says, ‘What I like isn’t here.’” Arthur,
a painter, sculptor, and furniture craftsman, is joined in the space by Eileen Madden
and Vanessa Shaf, whose Paper and Print studio just relocated to the
building.
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| Wood Assemblage Drawer Art Connor |
The gallery space itself is repurposed from a retired
bakery, and comfy seating in nearly every room continues the space’s legacy of
warm invitation. Sculptor and Painter Christine Connor remarks how the multiple
rooms, “allow for personal intimacy with the works.” The viewer feels more like a guest in the home of a
welcoming collector than a visitor to a public gallery.
Vibrantly colored fish in oil pastel, politically incited
mixed media works, industrial metal sculptures, letterpress poetry on
delicately handmade paper and luscious nudes in oil on linen adorn the walls
and floor space of the gallery rooms.
The range of artistic representation reflects the diversity within this
family of artists and friends. The vibrant, cacophonous details of life are the
broad themes of Caristia.
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| Rebecca George Oil on Linen |
Arts on Elston frequently collaborates with Rebecca George, founder/director of the nearby art school
and gallery space, The Art House. Up next for
The Art House and Arts on Elston is Art By America, a national exhibition of two-dimensional artwork juried by Ginny
Voedisch of the Art Instiutue of Chicago Museum and James Yood of Artforum
Magazine. Participating artists will receive all sale proceeds. Application
deadline: March 20, 2015. APPLY and stay tuned to the exhibitions page at The Art House to learn more about upcoming opportunities to exhibit and attend art openings
at The Art House and Arts on Elston.
Caristia’s artists
include: Heather Aitken, Celene Aubrey, Arthur Connor, Christine Connor,
Elizabeth Connor, Mae Connor, Karl Fresa, Gordon France, Rebecca George, Eileen
Madden, Dan Mullens, Vanessa Shaf.
Arts on Elston
3446 North Albany AveChicago, IL 60618
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| Stations Letterpress/Broadside Eileen Madden |
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| Untitled and Auger Bit Christine Connor |
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| Vertebrae Study Oil on Paper Elizabeth Connor |
